Finding new ways to use old things

Tag Archives: Olympus Tough

Mikey and I decided that this year for Christmas we would pool our money together and buy a camera together as each other Christmas gift. As I began thinking of different styles of cameras and of course immediately became overwhelmed. We would love to have a very nice camera but we just don’t have it in the budget to buy the ultimate camera right now so after discussing this with a friend of mine she gave me some great advice. She bought a new camera for their family at a pawn shop, it was in great condition and it was $65. I started to think more and more about this idea and talked to Mikey about it then we came up with a plan. I had an white gold necklace from an ex-boyfriend that I hardly wore anymore. The chain was a little too long for me, so I asked Mikey to sell the necklace and with that money we would then buy the camera.

Off on the adventure Mikey went. He walked into between 7-9 places for an estimate on the necklace. They ranged from $25-$110. We went with the $110. As Mikey was having the necklace estimated he was looking through their store at cameras and calling me so I can look at each one online. Mikey walked out of one shop with $120 in cash and walked into another Pawn shop and bought an Olympus camera for $150 (retail price: $230) which means we paid, $40 out of pocket. The camera is waterproof and can be dropped and won’t break. This is the first time I have really had Mikey take time to get the best deal and he was completely on board with the idea, probably because it involved some bargaining/negotiating, a skill to which he has been gifted.

Tip: Though Pawn shops may be a bit intimidating, that doesn’t mean it is worth it to pay full price for something you CAN find somewhere else cheaper. Don’t let someone or something effect your effort in living a thrifty life.

Sometimes things might seem frightening, but most of the time a fear or something is due to lack of experience, no one wants to feel silly walking into a place just to feel overwhelmed, however, if you try it at least once, I truly believe the accomplishment of saving money will keep you wanting more.

I hope you feel inspired to try knew things and become independent in your journey of thrift’ing.